(May
22,
2012) SBG
Properties has filed a rezoning request (Petition
2012-059) to allow for the construction of a Bojangles
restaurant and Circle-K convenience store on the east side of Steele Creek Road at
the new Dixie River Road intersection. The site is approximately one quarter mile
south of the I-485 interchange.

Community meeting:
When: 6:30 PM on Wednesday,
May 30
Where: Steele Creek Volunteer Fire Department at 13225 S
Tryon Street (the station near RiverGate, not the one near
Byrum General Store)

The developers also
plan to extend Dixie River Road east of Steele Creek Road. The
road will be six lanes at the traffic light at Steele Creek
Road, which will allow for numerous turn lanes. The road will
run between the Bojangles and Circle K and continue to the
future multi- and single-family residential development to the
east.

The two businesses
will have matching brick exteriors, and their parking lots will be
bordered by three foot brick walls along Steele Creek Road and the
Dixie River Road extension, as well as trees and other plantings.
The site also contains spaces for office buildings, a day care, or
similar uses behind the Bojangles and Circle K. These buildings will
have pitched roofs and serve as a transition to the future
residential area behind them.

Please see the
petition documents here: Petition
2012-059 to view the site plan and
other information.

However, while
the planned uses are appropriate for this area, this spot rezoning
could trigger a series of small rezonings resulting in a patchwork
of development at the Steele Creek Road/I-485 interchange. This
location at I-485 and Steele Creek Road is a major gateway into our
community. Having a comprehensive plan for this area is the only
option to assure an attractive gateway.

The
developer could go to the adjacent property owners to develop a
comprehensive plan to create a “signature entrance” to our
community. Including the large tracts owned by the Gambrell and
Grier families behind this site, there are more than 300 acres that
represent an opportunity for a quality plan.
This process should include coordination with Pappas Properties and
Steele Creek (1997) LP across Steele Creek Road, assuring consistent
monumentation, signage and landscaping.